Fire-escape



(No Model.)

W. G. KETCHUM.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 334,237. Patented Jan. 1.2.1886.

N PETKRS. Pnow-Limogmpher. washington. D. C.

IlNrrn STATES WILLIAM G. KETOHUM, OF AUGUSTA, ILLINOIS.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,237, dated January12, 1886.

Application filed December 3,1888. Serial No. 113.486.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. KETOHUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Augusta, in the county. of Hancock and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a firemans ladder ortire-escape which may be easily and quickly applied to buildings of anyheight and rmly supported upon and secured thereto, which will be light,strong, and compact, and may be easily carried about and handled toplace it in position upon or remove it from a building, and which maybev erected within a narrow compass and at the same time have asufficient inclination to be easily ascended and descended with celerityand perfeet safety, and to permit the use of suitable guards whichfacilitate descending it with coniidence and safety from great heights.

The improvement consists, generally, in a series of ladders suspended attheir upper ends from the windows, corniees, or other openings orprojections of the walls of a building, and supported at their lowerends in an inclined position by inwardly-projecting base-supporting armsor platforms which rest against the upper end of the ladder immediatelybeneath; to provide a series of ladders arranged one above the other andsimilarly inclined to eX- tend from story to story; in providing meansfor passing from the upper end ofthe ladder to the lower end of theadjoining ladder; in

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providing a platform beneath each of the ladders and each of thewindows, vupon which persons ascending and descending or mounted uponthe ladders may stand securely; in providing outwardly-projecting guardsor platforms at the foot of the ladders for arresting the fall ofpersons therefrom and for their support thereon; in providing means forfolding the platforms and guides against the sides of the ladder; inproviding means for locking the lower end of the ladder to the upper endof the adjoining ladder and for locking the platforms in their foldedpositions; in pivoting the suspension-hooks to the upper ends of theladders and providing means for driving them through the windows orwood-work and withdrawing them therefrom to attach or detach theladders; in providing a novel device (No model.)

for securing a pulley-block and hoisting-rope to the windows, openings.or projections of the building in an elevated position to raise or lowerthe ladders to or from their working position, and in certain details ofconstruction hereinafter more fully set forth, and specificallyindicated by the claims.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of a building with two of my improvedladders and the ladder-elevating device in working position, and with athird ladder in position to be lifted to its place against the wall;Fig. 2, a perspective of a ladder-section constructed in accordance withmy invention, showing by dotted lines the grappling-hooks in thepositions occupied by them before they are driven into the windows; Fig.8, an enlarged side elevation of the device for raising and lowering theladders to and from their position upon the building; Fig. 4, anenlarged sectional detail of the end of the inner platform orbasesupport of a ladder and the rail of an adjoining ladder, with anovel device for locking the ladders together, shown by full lines inits closed position and by dotted lines in its open position; Fig. 5, anenlarged elevation of a fragmental part of the ladder, rail, and end ofthe inner platform folded upon it and locked thereto by my improveddevice; Fig. 6, an enlarged plan of a guard or outer platform with theflooring partly broken away.

In describing in detail the construction of the parts constituting myinvention it must loe borne in mind that its distinguishing featureconsists in the employment of a number of ladders, A A A2, each of whichwill answer the same description, and which will be herein designated bysimilar letters. These ladders provide separate sections complete inthemselves, to be independently elevated, supported, and lowered, b utwhich may be joined together to form a continuous ladder formed ofseparate flights, for each story of a build` ing,'with a landing orplatform between each section.

The ladders A A A2 are each separately suspended by hooks B, secured totheir upper ends, and supported in inclined positions against the sideor face of a building by a base-support, G, secured to the lower end ofthe ladder. The ladder eonsists'of side rails, a, and steps c', joinedtogether in the usual wcll-known man ner; but in this instance steps atthe lower end ofthe ladder are cut away, and short projecting pins orsub-steps a2, secured to one of the side rails, or to both of them, ifpreferred, provide an open passage between the side rails at the foot ofthe ladder, through which persons may pass from one side to the otherside of the ladder with perfect safety, and thereby be enabled to passto or from a platform, or to or from the upper end of an adjoiningladder to a platform, in ascending and descending a series of theladders.

The base-support or platform C is preferably formed of arms C', pivotedat Cl toplates a3, secured to thelower ends ofthe side rails in suchmanner that the said arms C may be folded closely against the lower endsof the side rails, a, when theladder is not in use, or when it isdesired to carry it from place to place. rIhe arms C may be connected bycross-strips C3 to form a platform,C, which will project from the innerside ofthe lower end of the ladder, to provide a landing forpersonsascending or descending the ladder, or for the support of firemenengaged in their work. It is obviousthat the platform forms an integralpart of the arms C', and will fold with the arms against the lower endof the ladder.

rlhe swinging ends of the arms C are provided with clamps D,of novelconstruction, as hereinafter described, for securing them to the upperends of the rails of an adjoining ladder when two or more ladders areconnected together, as shown in Fig. l, and also for securing theswinging ends of the arms C to the rails of the ladder to which they arepivoted, when it is desired to fold said arms and platform out of theway. A guard or platform,E, preferably formed of an`iron frame, e,pivotally connected to the plates a3 by projecting ends e', and coveredwith a wire-netting, e2, which latter is provided with a canvas cover,e3, to provide a light semi-elastic stretcher or extension at the footof the outer side of the ladder, and is supported approximately at rightangles thereto by links or rods E', which extend downwardly anddiagonally from the side rails, a, of the ladder. rThe guards E willthus provide an extension to arrest the fall of persons from the ladder,will provide a landing or platform upon which persons may stand inhelping others down the ladder, or in performing the work of firemen,andwill also provide a safe footing for persons in passing up or down theladders and from the lower end` of one ladder to thc upper end ofanother adjoining ladder.

The presence and sight of the guard and platforms above described willgive to timid persons greater assurance, so that they may pass down theladders with increased safety, and without danger of stepping oft' theladder or hurriedly descending below the foot of the ladder-section uponwhich they are mounted. Firemen may conveniently stand with their feet,respectively, upon the outer and inner platforms, and hold onto `theside rails of the ladder while engaged in helping persons to descendwith safety, and pass them through the opening at the foot ofthe ladderto the int ner platform, and from thence to a secure support upon theupper end of the next succeedng ladder-section.

The outer guard or platform, E, and the inner platform, C, may both befolded together andopened jointly by means of suspension rods E',connecting the swinging end of the platform E, and a similar rod, C,connecting the swinging end of the arms C'with a sliding block, F,supported upon a guide-rod, F', secured to the outer side of the ladderrail. When the block F is raised upon the guide rod, the platforms E andC will be folded against the lower outer and inner sides of the ladder,and may be together clamped in their folded position by the clamp D,secured to the swinging end of the arm C, as shown in Fig. 5. The clampDis formed of the side plate or jaw, ci, firmly bolted to the outer sideof the swinging end of the arms C', and of a plate, d', pivotallysecured at d2 to the inner side of said arms O', immediately oppositethe jaw d, and which will,together therewith,embrace the opposite sidesof the rails a of an adjoining ladder. A locking-jaw, d3, is pivotallysecured to the slotted swinging end of the plate d', and is providedwith a projecting ear, d4, which affords convenient means for operatingthe jaw d3. A spring-catch, d5, is secured to the face of the jaw d3,and projects through the slot d in the swinging end of the jaw d andengages with vthe outer edge of lsaid slot to lock the jaw'cl"i in itsclosed position across the rai] of the ladder, and hold the said railsecurely between the plates d d and to the swinging end of the arm C.The locking-jaw di, upon releasing the catch d5,may be swung back to theposition shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, to release the rail of theladder from between the plates d or d', and also to permit the plate dto be swung upon its pivot dl when the arm C is folded against the lowerend of the ladder, and projects alongside of and to the front of therail a of the ladder. `When the arm C', plate d, and locking-jaw d3 arethus placed, the locking-jaw d3 may be swung upon its pivot IOO IIO

across the front side of the rail of the ladder,

and held in this position securely by the catch (Z5, to lock theswinging arm C and the parts connected therewith in their foldedpositions. The suspension-rods E' C4, sliding block F, and

platforms E and C are all thus held in their 4 raised or foldedpositions by a single instrumentality-Viz., the clamp D-and the saidclamp also serves to hold the base-support securely t-o the rail of anadjacent ladder. By

means of the connecting-rods and block abovev dow-frame andl casing andoverlook the window-sill and inner side of the wall, as shown by fulllines in Figs. l and 2, to thus provide asecure support for the upperend ofthe ladder and admit of its complete suspension therefrom. Across-bar, b, connects the middle portion oi' the hooks B, and has astaple, bt', secured thereto midway of its length. An endless cord, B',secured to the staple. cxtends downwardly the entire length of theladder upon the outer side of the steps and back again upon the innerside of the steps to the cross-bar of the suspension-hooks.

Vhen the ladder is to be raised in position to secure it to the side ofthe building, the suspension-hooks are thrown back to the position shownby dot-ted lines in Fig. 2, the said movement being effected by pullingupon the portion of the cord outside ofthe rungs of the ladder. W'henthe upper end of the ladder has been placed directly opposite a windowor other convenient place for its suspension, the portion of the cordinside of the rungs of the ladder is pulled quickly and forcibly, andthe suspension-hooks are thereby swung with great force to break throughthe shutters, casing, windows, or other destructible portion of thebuilding with which they may be brought in contact, and which willprovide a secure means of attachment for the upper end of the ladder.

When ladders are to be suspended from points above convenient reach, andwhen a .series of ladders are to be erected upon the side of a building,it is preferable to employ an implement for elevating or hoisting theladders up to the position in which they are to be placed, and sosupport them until they are securely coupled together and thesuspension-hooks properly secured to the building. lThe elevatoremployed by me for this purpose is shown in working position upon thebuilding in Fig. l and in enlarged detail in Fig. 3, and consists in agrappling-hook, G, pivotally secured to the end of a rod, H, at h, and apulley-block, I, suspended by a link, l, from the shank end of thegrappling-hook. A cord, K, is passed over the pulley-block I, and isprovided with a hook, L, by which it may be attached to one ofthe stepsof a ladder. One end of the cord K passes through a staple or loop, h',on the lower end of the 'rod H, and

is pulled on by a person from the ground to raise the ladder, while theother end of the cord K may be held to guide and steady the ladderduring its ascent or descent. The lower end of the rod H is firmly heldby a person mounted upon a ladder secured in position until the nextsucceeding ladder is raised to its proper height and rmly connected tothe building by means of the suspension-hooks. rlhe rod H and itsconnections may be removed and the lower end of the ladder last raisedis securely placed and held in an inclined position against the wall ofthe building by locking the swinging ends ot' the basesupports C to theupper ends of the rails or" the ladder immediately below, and previouslysecured in position, as shown at Fig. 1.

rlhe grappling-hook G may, because of its shape, and also because of itspivotal connection to the rod H,be driven completely th rough awindow-casing, and be securely hooked upon the window-sill or otherVconvenient portion of thebuilding, and will provide asecure support,and means for suspending the pulley block and tackle therefrom.

A crooked rod has heretofore been employed `for bracing the lower endoi' a suspended ladder, but no means were connected therewith to hoist aladder in position upon the wall above a ladder already secured thereon.I am also aware thata rod provided with forks or prongs, and with ablock and tackle secured to its upper end, has been employed to raiseand lower articles and persons from a burning building; butin thislast-named device no means are shown for suspending the tackle from thebuilding, as in my device, and both the object desired and meansemployedl in the devices referred to are essentially different from thatembodied in my invention.

rlhe ladders are light and strong, and may be easily handled and raisedand lowered from their positions upon the building in the followingmanner: Aladder, M, of ordinary construction, is iirst placed againstthe side of the building to extend from the ground to the first-storywindows, and said ladder is ascended and the rod H carried up andsecured 'to the second-story cornices. or windows. The firstescape-ladder, A, is then hooked onto the cord K and hoisted toposition. rlhe suspension-hooks of the ladder are then driven into thewindow or'cornice by means ofthe cords B, and the base-supports C areunfolded and secured by means of the clamp D to the rails of the ladderM. The ladder A is then ascended and the rod H is elevated and hookedonto the cornice or window of the third story, and the cord K is securedby means of the hook L to the rung of the second ladder, A', which israised into position as was the ladder A, previously' described, theends of the cord K being held or strained in opposite directions toguide the second ladder and direct it past the projecting lower end ofthe ladder already in position. The second ladder, A', is then securedto the building and to the upper end of the iirst ladder, A.

The operation of lowering and disconnecting the ladders from thebuilding is the reverse of that above described for elevating andconnecting them.

Vhere long ladders are employed upon buildings having low stories, asingle ladder may be made to extend past several stories, as the lowerend of the uppermost ladder may be connected to any part of the ladderbeneath it. A portion of one ladder will thus be made to overlic theadjoining ladder and form an outer guard-barrier to prevent persons fromfallipg 'from windows immediately opposite said overhanging ladders, andthus enable persons to pass out of the windows and take their positionsupon the ladders with safety.

I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patentil. Alire-escape ladder provided with hooks secured to the upper end of theladder, and adapted for fasteningits upper end toa building, incombination with a base-supporting piece hinged to its lower end,wherebyit may project from or be folded up against the lower end of theladder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A fire-escape ladder formed in sections, each section provided withfasteninghooks at its upper end, in combination with a platform securedto the lower end and inner side of each section, whereby each section isheld in an inclined position, with its upper end to the wall of thebuilding,and its lower end outside of the upper end of the section belowit, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

d. A fire-escape ladder provided with fastening-hooks for securing itsupper end directly to a window, in combination with a .platformextending inwardly therefrom at its lower end, upon which personsascending and descending the ladder may stand, substantially asdescribed. 4. A fire-escape ladder adapted to be held in an inclinedposition by means of fasteninghooks secured to its upper end,incombination with a section or platform hinged to its lower end/toproject from and fold against the inner side thereof, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a iire-eseape, the combination, with the ladder-sections havingpartial steps at their lower ends, of fastening-hooks secured to theupper end of each section, andbase-supports secured to the inner sidesand lower ends of each section, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

6. A fire-escape ladder provided at its upper end with means forsuspending it, in combination with a guard or platform hinged to thelower end of the ladder, to project from and fold against the outer sidethereof, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A'iire-escape ladder provided at its upper end with means forsuspending it, in combiiiation with a folding guard or platform hingedto its outer side, and a folding plat-- form or base-support hinged toits inner side at the lower end of said ladder, substantially asdescribed.

8. A fire-escape ladder provided at its upper end with means forsuspending it, in combination with a guard or platform hinged to itsouter side, a platform or base -siipport hinged to its inner side, andsuspension-links supported upon guiderods on the yrails of the ladder,to operate the outer and inner hinged portions jointly, substantially asdescribed.

9. rIhe combination, with a fire-escape ladder, ofthe hinged sections CE, links C* E', guide-rail F', and sliding block F, all arranged forjoint operation, substantially as d ascribed.

10. A fire-escape ladder provided at its upper end with means forsuspendingit, in combination with a base-support secured to its lowerend, and a locking-clamp secured to the base-support, substantially asand for the purpose described.

11. A fire-escape ladder, in combination with a base-support or platformhinged to the lower end of the ladder, and 'a clamp for securing saidbase-support or platform to the ladder, substantially as described.

12. A fireescape ladder, in combination with a base-support or platformhinged thereto,to fold against the lower end thereof, and a clampaffixed to the swinging end of the basesupport, and adapted to lock itwhen in its folded position, and secure it to another ladder when in itsopen position, substantially as described.

13. The combination of the jaws d cl,adapt ed to be secured to theswinging end of the base-support, the pivoted locking-jaw d3, andspring-catch di", all combined and arranged to operate substantially asdescribed.

14. In combination, in aireeSCapeladder, a suspension hook pivot-allysecured to the upper end of the ladder, a cord secured to the hook andlocated at the outer side of the lad-l der, by means of which the hookmay be pulled backward and downward, and another coid secured also tothe hook, but located at the other side of the ladder, or sidenext thebuilding, by means ofl which-the hook may be thrust forward with forceto engage it, substantially as described, and for the purpose specied.

15. An implement for elevating fire-escape ladders, consisting of thecombination,with a suspension-hook, ofa rod for elevating said hook, anda cord and pulley secured to said hook, these parts being combined andarranged to operate in the manner and for the purpose described.

16. The combination, in a ladder-elevator for fire-escapes, ofthe rod H,the suspensionhook pivotal] y connected therewith, and a cord and pulleysecured to tlie suspensionhook, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

VILLIAM G. KETCHUM.

Witnesses:

S. A. STIENBARGER, R. J. GRIGsoN.

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